


Operation: Cookie Jar

by Eastofthemoon



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Children, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Teacher Shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-17 01:19:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14822489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eastofthemoon/pseuds/Eastofthemoon
Summary: There is no better way for kids to bond than a heist.





	Operation: Cookie Jar

**Author's Note:**

> This is the story I wrote for the Tiny Adventures zine which you all can find here: https://tinyadventureszine.tumblr.com/

“Teacher’s pet.”

Four year old Keith paused in his colouring. He turned his head to glare at Lance while struggling to resist the urge to doodle on the boy’s face. “What?”

“You’re a teacher’s pet,” Lance said with a sneer as he leaned back in his red chair. “You’re such a goody-goody, and you never get in trouble with Shiro. You’re a show on.”

“You mean ‘show off’,” Pidge corrected from her seat across from them.

“And Keith’s not a teacher’s pet,” Hunk added. “Don’t be mean.”

“But Keith never has to sit in the corner,” Lance argued.

“I’ve never been sent to the corner,” Hunk replied as he fiddled with his yellow crayon.

Keith nodded firmly in agreement.

“Yeah, well, he comes in the same car as Shiro when they come to school.” Lance turned to Keith and jabbed a finger at him. “I’ve seen you! You never take the bus. You ALWAYS come with Shiro.”

Keith growled like a cat as he nearly snapped his crayon. “Because Shiro lives next door and it saves my daddy from driving me here.”

His dad always claimed that Shiro was an adopted member of their family. Shiro babysitting him was one of Keith’s first memories, and Shiro came to join him and his dad for dinner constantly. Shiro might have been his teacher, but Keith always thought of him more like his big brother.

“Excuses,” Lance said as he shook a finger. “You are a teacher’s pet!”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Enough!” 

The boys kept their scowls even as they heard Allura, the assistant teacher, appear at their table. She did not seem pleased as she placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. “How many times do I have to tell you not to fight?”

“He started it!” Lance and Keith said in unison as they pointed at each other.

Allura rubbed her eyes. “I don’t care who started it.” She shook at finger at them. “If you keep fighting neither of you will get cookies later.”

Keith and Lance froze instantly, the argument forgotten about as the boys, along with Pidge and Hunk, locked hungry eyes onto Allura.

“There are cookies?” all four said in unison.

Allura clamped a hand over her mouth as dread fell over her face. “Oh..uh...noooo,” she said as she forced a nervous smile. “I...didn’t say ‘cookies’.”

“Yes, you did!” Pidge argued as she pointed her crayon at her. “You just said there were.”

“Uh...no, no I...merely meant...” Allura stammered.

Hunk pouted. “Are you trying to keep the cookies for yourself?” He shook a finger while Keith nodded along. “That’s not nice! It’s important to share!”

Allura sighed. “I know that and besides I don’t even like sugar cookies-” 

“So there are cookies!” Lance grinned as he tugged at her shirt. “Where are they?!”

Keith began to tug too. “Yeah, tell us! Please!”

“No, I ...um,” Allura stammered.

“Guys,” Shiro’s voice cut in as he appeared at the table. “What’s going on?” He scratched his head at the scene. “And why are you playing tug-of-war with Allura?”

The boys let go, but that didn’t deter Keith from pointing at her. “Shiro, she said there are cookies, but she won’t give us any!”

Shiro blinked, and then a flash of annoyance crossed his face as he raised an eyebrow at Allura. “You told them?”

Allura meekly nodded as she looked down at her feet. “Sorry, Shiro, it slipped out.”

Keith and the other kids rushed to Shiro with pleading eyes. “Can we have cookies, Shiro? PLEASE!” they all begged in perfect unison.

Shiro sighed as he kneeled. “Sorry, guys, but they’re a treat for after story time, which is after recess.”

Hunk’s lower lip quivered. “But that will be forever!”

Shiro smiled as he patted Hunk’s head. “No, it won’t. You just have to be patient.” He gently let them all back to their table. “Now why don’t you guys show me what you’ve been drawing?”

Keith pouted, but did as Shiro asked. Sadly, knowing there were cookies somewhere made it impossible to concentrate on the rest on the class. It was even harder outside during recess as he, Pidge and Lance watched Hunk slump against the wall like a sad puppy.

“I’m hungry,” Hunk mumbled.

“You just had a snack,” Pidge said as she sat next to him.

“Grapes don’t taste as good when you know there are cookies,” he said.

“Yeah,” Keith nodded. “I wish we could have them now too.”

“Why don’t we just go and take some cookies?” Lance asked.

Keith, Hunk and Pidge all stared at him as if he'd just suggested they rob a bank.

“What?” Keith asked.

Lance shrugged. “There are probably a lot of cookies, and it can’t hurt if we just take a couple early, right?”

“But Shiro said they were for later,” Pidge argued. “Besides, we don’t even know where the cookies are.”

“We don’t,” Lance said with a pout, but then smirked as he locked eyes with Keith, “but I bet you do!”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“You’re ALWAYS with Shiro! Being the teacher’s pet, I bet you know exactly where the cookies are.”

Keith growled. It was true that he had a rough idea of where the cookies might be, but that didn’t mean he was agreeing to this. “I’m not a teacher’s pet, and besides the idea is super dumb!” He tossed his hands up in the air. “We’ll get in trouble.”

Lance grinned. “Not if we don’t get caught.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s what my big sister always tells me.” He then narrowed his eyes at Keith. “That is, as long as teacher’s pet doesn’t tattle on us.”

Keith rolled his eyes. Did Lance think he was stupid? “I’m not a tattletale or a teacher’s pet.” 

“Oh, yeah? Then prove it!” Lance said with a determined glare.

“Lance, stop it,” Hunk said as he touched his shoulder. He gave a whimper and then sucked air between his teeth. “I don’t need a cookie that badly.”

Keith scowled, but his eyes softened as he looked at Hunk. He was always nice to Keith and didn’t bug him like Lance did. If Hunk wanted a cookie...well...it wouldn’t be super bad to do it this once right?

He frowned at Lance. “If I help you, pinky swear you’ll never call me teacher’s pet again.”

Lance frowned, but then held up his finger. “Fine, and just so you know I ALWAYS keep my promises.”

“He does,” Pidge confirmed with a nod. “Lance is good with pinky promises.”

Keith looked to Hunk who also nodded to confirm. Holding his chin up high, Keith extended his pinky finger and wrapped it around Lance’s. “Alright, pinky promise.”

“Pinky promise,” Lance said as he shook it and grinned. “Now let’s get cookies!”

Pidge hushed him. “Not so loud.” She pointed to where Allura was tossing a ball with some of the other kids. “Do you want Allura to hear us?”

“Right, right, sorry,” Lance whispered and pointed to the door. “Let’s go.”

Quietly, the four of them scurried to the door that led directly back into the classroom. Keith glanced over his shoulder and saw Shiro was busy pushing Shay on the swing. He felt a twinge of guilt, but the thought of cookies assisted him tossing it aside.

Keith, Pidge and Lance shielded Hunk from sight as he turned the knob. “I’m in,” he whispered.

In a swift motion, they all rushed inside and shut the door behind them. Keith glanced around the empty classroom. He couldn’t remember ever hearing it so quiet. It was rather creepy.

“So, where would the cookies be?” Lance asked.

Keith pointed to Shiro’s desk in the corner of the classroom. “Knowing him, his desk drawer. He keeps everything there!”

Lance grinned. “Perfect!”

They ran over to the desk and found the drawer, but not before giving the stuffed winged black lion sitting on Shiro’s desk a pat.

“It’s so fluffy,” Hunk cooed at it.

“And cute,” Lance added.

Keith nodded as he stroked the wings. He loved the movie it was from. Shiro and his dad had taken him to see it on his birthday. It was his forever favorite! However, their petting got interrupted as Pidge yanked on their shirts.

“Come on, we have to move,” she hissed.

The boys returned to their task at hand and Lance went to pull at the drawer, but grunted when it wouldn’t move. “Argh, it’s locked.”

Keith pouted and moaned as he slapped his face. “Shiro probably has the keys for it on him.”

“And he’s outside,” Lance grumbled. “No way we can get those keys without him seeing.”

“Aw, so no cookies?” Hunk asked.

“No, we’ve come too far,” Pidge said as she looked around. “Is there a paper clip anywhere?”

Keith looked at the desk, found the container of paperclips and snagged one. “Will this do?”

Grinning, Pidge took it and straighten it out. “Yup, this will work!”

“What are you doing?” Hunk asked.

“My brother Matt taught me how to pick locks,” Pidge said as she proceeded to poke at the lock.

“Oh, cool,” Lance chimed in as he hovered. “Can you teach me?”

“Later,” Pidge hissed as a hard click echoed throughout the room. “I’m in.”

Tossing the paper clip aside, she pulled the drawer and there sitting in a clear plastic container were the cookies. Better yet, they were cut out in different animals!

“Alright, only take one,” Keith instructed as he lifted the lid. “We can’t let Shiro find out what we did.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lance said as he grabbed a cookie. “Oh, I got a shark!”

Hunk grabbed a bear, Pidge snagged a giraffe and Keith, much to his glee, got a hippo. They then shut the drawer, wiped their fingerprints with Lance’s sleeve because that’s what people did in crime shows, and raced back to the door.

They discreetly opened the door, snuck outside and quickly shut it behind them.

Feeling quite pleased, the children ran by the jungle gym, sat under the monkey bars and gleefully began to eat.

“Mmmm...so good,” said Hunk.

Keith nodded as he nibbled. “Yeah, I just wish I could share this with Red.”

Wiping off the crumbs from his face, Lance gave him a quizzical expression. “Red?”

Keith blushed. Oh no, would Lance tease him again? “My stuffed red lion.”

Lance gasped and pointed at him gleefully. “From the Magical Lion movie?”

Keith froze and slowly nodded. “Yeah..”

Lance beamed with pride. “I have Blue!”

Keith’s jaw dropped. “Really?”

“Yeah, and Pidge has Green and Hunk has Yellow!”

“No way!’ Keith exclaimed as Pidge and Hunk nodded just as excited.

“If you bring Red, maybe Shiro could lend us Black from his desk,” Hunk spoke excitedly.

As the children began to plan, Allura frowned as she saw familiar-looking treats in their hands. Sighing, she poked Shiro and pointed. “Um...I hate to be the bearer of bad news but-”

“The kids got into the cookies,” Shiro said without turning his head.

Allura blinked. “You knew?”

Shiro grinned. “Yeah, I saw them sneak in and figured that’s what they were doing.”

Allura raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to scold them?”

Shiro picked up a stray ball. “It’s not a major thing. Besides, if it helps Keith and Lance learn to get along, I’m willing to let it go.”

The next day, Shiro smiled when he saw all four kids playing with their lions. He couldn’t resist taking his black lion out to join in on the fun. As the children laughed and growled with their lions, Shiro grinned back at them sensing this was the start of a strong friendship.


End file.
